Israel Offers Advice To Stop Human Trafficking At Super Bowl 50
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A few weeks ahead of Super Bowl 50, California lawmakers are turning to Israel for solutions on human trafficking.
The practice plagues large events around the world, and Super Bowl 50 will be no exception.
"The Super Bowl is a point in which people say human trafficking increases, so we need to raise the attention and profile of this time," said Assemblyman Marc Levine.
He invited Israel's human trafficking coordinator, Dr. Merav Shmueli, to the state Capitol to learn possible solutions.
Shmueli says human trafficking was one of Israel's worst crises, aside from the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Women and children were smuggled from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and forced into prostitution.
She points to the three Ps as a fix for their problem—prevention, prosecution and protection. She believes police should empower the victims to help shut down human trafficking.
She says the Super Bowl could be just one entry point for innocent, defenseless women and children to be sold as sex slaves.
"Everyone who is on the ground who may see someone who seem to be in distress, abused, traumatized, afraid of the person standing next to her—look at it more closely—maybe ask a few questions," she said.
For now, local law enforcement is gearing up. Airport and airline officials received training earlier this week to spot traffickers and victims.
